Many jobs offer a couple of weeks of paid vacation each
year. Mine does. I usually take those days during the holidays, kids’ school
vacation, and the occasional family trip or getaway with Husband. I enjoy those
vacation days. I have earned those vacation days.
This week it dawned on me that I have also put in enough
time to qualify for a couple of weeks of vacation each year from the ever-present
mommy guilt. You know what I’m talking about. That little voice that calls you
a failure if your kids are picky eaters or throw a tantrum or still don’t seem
to tight-rope walk on command. Sometimes I call that voice Pinterest, but when
I’m being honest, I know it’s really just me. This little voice, my voice, is
ever present in my own head.
But not this week. Actually, not for the next TWO WEEKS.
A couple of days ago, I decided to give myself a two-week vacation
from that little pesky voice. We will be on a real vacation for about 5 days
during this time frame, but I decided that my guilt-free vacay should start
immediately. I also decided that I should get to enjoy this time in the comfort
of my own home, not just during some short stint in a rental (where real-life rules
rarely apply anyway).
These are the tenants that will guide me through:
I will not fight with
my kids about broccoli. If the only ‘fruit’ they eat for the next couple of
weeks is applesauce and the occasional banana, so be it. I will take a break
from this battle. To that end, if we only eat cereal for dinner, I’m good with
that, too.
We will lie on the
couch and snuggle and watch TV. We will not try to cram kinder-prep books
or worksheets or activities into the very few, precious hours I have with my
kids between the end of the work day and bedtime. We will snuggle and laugh and
just relax. (And, before you suggest playing outside, just come visit us in our
little rain-soaked, mosquito laden, 98% humidity piece of Texas.)
We will not hurry up for anything. We will slow down. If we are late, we are
late. If we miss something, we miss something. I will not stress about the
little things. That includes bedtimes and evening routines and all of our other
daily struggles. If it happens, it happens. In the meantime, we will just be.
We might wear pajamas
and/or swim suits in public. We {might} do this while on our actual
vacation. We {might} do this when leaving from our own home. Who cares? I sure
don’t.
I will respond to
requests with a lot of mmm-kays and whatev’s… I am so, so tired of
saying no all the damn time. Mmm-kay? Right now, I don’t care. If you’re not
bleeding, choking, or in danger of those things happening, it’s all good. You
want cookies for dinner? If you can get them for yourself, go for it!
I should be clear, that I will not use these tenants as
excuses for a lapse in general parenting. My kids will be clothed, fed,
cleaned, and loved daily. These are merely guidelines for my own brain to stop
obsessing over all those little details that tend to drive me a little batty.
Mommy needs a break, and the time is now.
Love these ideas!
ReplyDeleteYES! Escape that mommy-guilt...even for longer than these few weeks! Cereal for breakfast, yes please. PJs outside, who doesn't? Our kids are happy and healthy (even without all those pesky veggies), and that's enough. ;) And kindergarten prep sheets can wait a few days/weeks. I've been spacing them out here, because really, life is enough of an education sometimes. ;)
ReplyDeleteThat's pefectly okay, mothers work so hard and you certainly should get some rest! :)
ReplyDeleteI love this!! I am definitely taking a mommy guilt vacation this weekend! Thanks for the idea!
ReplyDelete